Hometown, Illinois

Hometown, Illinois
City
Seal
Location of Hometown in Cook County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 41°43′50″N87°43′55″W / 41.73056°N 87.73194°W / 41.73056; -87.73194
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
Township	Worth
Incorporated	1953
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
•  Mayor	Frank Finnegan
Area [1]
• Total	0.48 sq mi (1.24 km2)
• Land	0.48 sq mi (1.24 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0%
Elevation	623 ft (190 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,343
• Density	9,066.81/sq mi (3,501.46/km2)
Standard of living (2007-11)
•  Per capita income	$21,626
•  Median home value	$150,000
ZIP code(s)	60456
Area code(s)	708
Geocode	35866
FIPS code	17-35866
Website	www.cityofhometown.org

Hometown is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,343 at the 2020 census. ^[2]

History

Joseph E. Merrion developed inexpensive duplex houses in Hometown after World War II, targeting former GIs and their families. Hometown incorporated in 1953, and its population peaked at over 7,000 in 1958. On April 21, 1967, an F4/F5 rated tornado tore through Hometown, devastating the area, ^[3] and destroying 86 homes while damaging 500 others.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Hometown has a total area of 0.48 square miles (1.24 km²), all land. ^[4]

Hometown borders the city of Chicago along 87th Street between Cicero Avenue and Pulaski Road. The town's southern border is located one-half mile south of 87th, where 91st Street would be.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census ^[5] there were 4,343 people, 1,745 households, and 955 families residing in the city. The population density was 9,066.81 inhabitants per square mile (3,500.71/km²). There were 1,945 housing units at an average density of 4,060.54 per square mile (1,567.78/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.87% White, 2.28% African American, 0.94% Asian, 0.58% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 11.01% from other races, and 11.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25.74% of the population.

There were 1,745 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.92% were married couples living together, 11.46% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.27% were non-families. 40.57% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.36% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.42 and the average family size was 2.41.

The city's age distribution consisted of 22.6% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 31% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $51,487, and the median income for a family was $63,523. Males had a median income of $39,034 versus $30,449 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,378. About 1.5% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1960	7,479		—
1970	6,729		−10.0%
1980	5,324		−20.9%
1990	4,769		−10.4%
2000	4,467		−6.3%
2010	4,349		−2.6%
2020	4,343		−0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 2010 [7] 2020 [8]

Hometown city, Illinois - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010 [7]	Pop 2020 [8]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	3,665	2,979	84.27%	68.59%
Black or African American alone (NH)	38	86	0.87%	1.98%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	11	7	0.25%	0.16%
Asian alone (NH)	14	38	0.32%	0.87%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	2	0.00%	0.05%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	1	16	0.02%	0.37%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	32	97	0.74%	2.23%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	588	1,118	13.52%	25.74%
Total	4,349	4,343	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

Government

Hometown is located in the 1st district for the Cook County Board of Review, the 11th district on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and the 3rd judicial subcircuit. The 2011 redistricting places Hometown in Illinois's 3rd congressional district, Illinois's 16th legislative district, and Illinois's 31st house district. Public education is provided by Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123, Oak Lawn Community High School, and Moraine Valley Community College. The Hometown Fire Protection District, which is coterminous with the municipality, provides fire protection services. ^[9]

For the purposes of elections, Hometown is split into three precincts; Worth Township 47, Worth Township 53, and Worth Township 82. ^[9] In the 2020 presidential election, Hometown cast 995 votes for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (51.6%) and cast 908 votes (47.1%) for Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Twenty-four voters chose third-party candidates and thirteen voters pulled a ballot, but abstained from voting for any candidate for president. Voter turnout was 66.5%. ^[10]

Transportation

Bus service is provided by Pace Route 383 and CTA Route 87. Metra trains run through Hometown on the Southwest Service line, but do not stop. ^[11]

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
2. "Hometown city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved March 13, 2022.
3. "40th Anniversary of Northern Illinois' Worst Tornado Disaster" (PDF). NOAA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
4. Bureau, US Census. "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
5. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
6. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
7. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Hometown city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau .
8. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Hometown city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau .
9. Orr, David, ed. (2015). "Worth and Calumet Townships" (PDF). Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 18, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
10. "November 03, 2020 Presidential General Election Norwood Park - U.S. Election Results" (PDF). Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
11. "RTA System Map" (PDF). Retrieved January 30, 2024.